Wildfire closes Denali National Park for second day as firefighters make progress

Denali National Park was closed to the public for a second day in a row Tuesday as firefighters tried to contain a spreading wildfire that forced the park to close and evacuate.

The Riley Fire was 388 acres as of Tuesday morning and was 10% contained on the southern perimeter, closest to the park entrance, according to Beth Ipsen, spokeswoman for the Alaska Fire Service’s Bureau of Land Management.

National Park Service officials said it is still unclear when the park will reopen.

The rapid growth of the fire on Sunday prompted the evacuation of workers from apartment buildings and campgrounds, the cancellation of passenger train service and a power outage in an area known as Glitter Gulch, a shopping strip in Nenana Canyon where tourists visit shops, restaurants and hotels.

The fire occurred during the park’s busiest time of year, when up to 5,000 people come here every day to explore, set up camp and relax.

Power remained out Tuesday in the Glitter Gulch area, according to an update from the Golden Valley Electric Association. “The Riley Fire Incident Management Team reported that they were still seeing heat signatures under the power line and in the immediate area, and requested that the lines be turned off by 9:00 p.m. this evening for the safety of crews working in the area.”

Park rangers were stationed at the entrance Monday and Tuesday to turn vehicles around, Park Service spokesman Paul Ollig said. Power outages made it difficult to spread the word about the park closure, but rangers also stopped at businesses and hotels in Glitter Gulch to provide updates, he said.

Authorities said people with camping or backcountry reservations already in the park when the fire broke out were allowed to stay put.

Ollig said there were about 10 backpackers and 25 campers still in the park Tuesday. Many of those reservations were set to end Wednesday, and Ollig said the shuttle bus was only operating to return guests to the park entrance.

About 150 workers who evacuated from apartment buildings near the entrance were staying mostly at the school or churches in Healy, Ollig said. The Alaska American Red Cross took over shelter operations at the school Tuesday. About 50 people were expected to stay there overnight Tuesday, spokeswoman Taylar Sausen said.

The Alaska Railroad canceled train service to the park for a second day. The northbound Denali Star Train was operating from Anchorage to Talkeetna, officials said. The railroad was providing buses for passengers traveling north between Talkeetna and Fairbanks or south between Fairbanks and Anchorage.

Firefighters were protecting the southern edge of the fire Monday and were able to contain it despite an evening wind shift, Ipsen said. The fire has largely burned through most of the black spruce in the area and has now spread into hardwoods and brush, which has slowed growth, she said.

The fire was 10% contained Tuesday morning, and cooler temperatures and high cloud cover are expected to aid in the fight, which is expected to last all day, Ipsen said. Additional crews have arrived to help, and helicopters and planes have repeatedly dropped water on the blaze, she said.

The fire was a huge disruption, Ipsen said. Closing the park ruined the dreams of thousands of tourists who had planned to visit during the holiday season.

Because of the power outage in Glitter Gulch, crowds of visitors flocked to other businesses along Parks Highway, said Jessica Rinck, owner of Panorama Pizza Pub about 15 miles south of the park entrance. The pizzeria still had power.

“We’ve definitely seen a significant increase in business,” she said. “There’s nowhere to eat now, so it’s crazy.”

The cabins Rinck and her husband own were also fully booked because the fire knocked out power in nearby areas, she said. But on Tuesday, visitors to Alaska began calling to cancel their plans because of uncertainty about when the park would reopen, she said.

Local businesses in Healy, Carlo Creek, McKinley Village and Cantwell were operating normally, according to the Denali Chamber of Commerce. Local tours and excursions were also operating, for the most part.

“If you need help turning lemons into lemonade while you’re in the area, please contact us,” chamber officials wrote in an update sent early Tuesday afternoon.

Ollig said that since Tuesday, park authorities have been monitoring the situation and waiting until the southern part of the fire is contained enough to be deemed safe and allow visitors to re-enter the park.

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